Telephone-booth.



AU 291 Ex Patented July 15, I902.

F. L. TUFTS.

TELEPHUNE BOOTH.

Apphcation filed Nov 6, 19011 (No Monet.)

AITORNEIY UNITED STATES FRANK LEO TUFTS, OF NEW YORK,

IIERSCIIEL C. PARKER,

TELEPHON PATENT OFFICE.

E-BOOTH.

ECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 704,986, dated July 15, 1902.

Application filed November 5, 1901. Serial No. 81.232- (No model.)

To all 1117mm if may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK LEO TUFTS, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Telephone-Booths, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to improvements in telephone-booths. In many places, and particularly in public places, it is the custom to have several of these booths in close connection, so as to accommodate several people at once who wish to use the line, and it has heretofore been found practically impossible to so construct the booths as to prevent conversation in one booth from being heard in an adjoining booth or booths. To obviate this difficulty, great expense has been incurred in deadening walls and in making peculiarlyconstructed walls; but the effort has been unsuccessful, chiefly for the reason that the sound travelsin waves and flat surfaces have a sounding-board effect, so that the soundwaves are transmitted from booth to booth, and the talking in one booth is therefore heard in the next. I have discovered that the difficulty can be overcome in a very simple manner-to wit, by making the walls of the booths curved and preferably cylindrical. By making the booths cylindrical or with curved walls the sound-waves are not only more or less deflected; but it will be observed that such a booth is braced in all directions, and instead of one wall having the soundingboard efiect and vibrating to the action of sound-waves the whole structure must respend, and this being braced in all directions is not likely to occur, so that aseries of booths constructed in accordance with myinvention, even though comparatively thin and cheap, have the quality of preventing the transmission of sound through the walls thereof.

To this end myinvention consists of snowbination of booths with curved walls, substantially as hereinafter specifically described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which similar figures of reference refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

Figure 1 is a plan view, with one booth in section, of a series of booths, showing my invention. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the same with one booth in vertical section. Fig. 3 is a sectional plan of another arrangement of the booths, and Figs. 4 and 5 are sectional plans of still other arrangements and combinations of booths.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, a series of cylindrical booths 10 are arranged side by side, these having the usual telephone apparatus within them, and they are preferably provided with sliding doors 11, which can run in suitable keepers, and they therefore occupy but little room. I have shown plain doors; but obviously the doors or walls may be lighted, if preferred. These booths can be conveniently made of wood veneers; but they may be made of sheet metal, papiermach, or any suitable material, and the walls may obviously be double, if desired, or built up in any preferred manner. As shown in figures referred to, the booths are arranged side by side, so that they may be placed conveniently against a straight wall, and in Figs. 3 and 4 the booths are placed back to back in combinations of three and four.

In Fig. 5 the booths are arranged in the form of a cabinet 12 of generally rectangular exterior shape; but the inner ,walls of each 8o booth 13 are curved, and the booths are provided with swinging doors 14, although any form of door can be substituted for that shown.

I have illustrated the several groupings of 8 5 booths to show that various modifications in this respect may be had, and it is not essential that the booths be perfectly cylindrical, as they might be more or less elliptical in cross-section; but the walls should be curved, go and the preferred construction is the cylindrical form. I make no claim to other details of construction.

The drawings show booth with flat tops; but to get the best possible effect the tops of 5 the several booths can be made semispherical or dome-shaped, thus preventing any flatsurfaces at any point within the booths.

I am aware that, broadly speaking, a circular or cylindrical booth or stall is not in itself new; but I am not aware that any such structure has been used for the purpose of preventing sound transmission through the walls.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. The combination of a plurality of telephone-booths placed in juxtaposition and provided with curved walls.

2. A group of independent telephonebooths, each provided with means of ingress and egress, and each provided with curved walls.

3. A group of telephone-booths, each booth being essentially cylindrical, and said booths being grouped.

4. A group of telephone-booths, each booth being essentially cylindrical, and the booths being placed back to back.

5. An improved telephone-booth for resisting soundvibrations, said booth having a suitable door and constructed with its inner walls curved.

(3. Animproved telephone-booth construct ed with curved walls, and with a sliding door conforming essentially to the curvature of the booth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRANK LEO TUFTS.

Witnesses:

WARREN B. HUTCHINSON, H. C. PARKER. 

